SCHOTTEL supply components to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters for US Coast Guard

November 20, 2024

Two Waterways Commerce Cutter variants: an Inland Construction Tender (top) and River Buoy Tender (bottom). Source: Birdon America

SCHOTTEL has been selected by Birdon America, to supply components to 27 vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard Waterways Commerce Cutter Program with rudder propellers type SRP 210. For this programme, U.S. Coast Guard prime contractor Birdon America, Inc. is designing the cutters and is expected to construct sixteen River Buoy Tenders and eleven Inland Construction Tenders. The cutters will be built at Birdon’s recently acquired Bayou La Batre shipyard in Alabama. Up to four cutters are expected to be delivered annually over the course of the next eight years, gradually replacing the aging vessels.

Up to 27 vessels to be equipped with SCHOTTEL
Each SRP features an input power of 597 kilowatts (800 horsepower) and a propeller diameter of 1.3 metres. The thrusters are fitted with SCHOTTEL’s highly efficient SDC40 nozzle, which combines compact design and high propulsion efficiency. Hydrodynamically optimized protective grids on the nozzles will increase the safety of the propellers in case of collisions with debris. SCHOTTEL DuroVario-S slipping clutches will allow for smooth startups and overall improved handling of the thrusters for precise manoeuvring and will reduce the environmental impact during berthing operations. Enabling the WCCs to operate in both deep and shallow waters, the SRPs will allow the vessel to achieve a free-running speed of 11 knots or more.

Reliable protection against contamination of river and seawater
The propulsion system of the WCCs will be equipped with SCHOTTEL LeaCon. LeaCon is a sealing system certified by DNV, which offers safe and reliable protection against the contamination of river and seawater by operating materials and vice versa. LeaCon works with an intermediate chamber design and multiple seals on the propeller shaft and steering stem that separate lubricants from water. The system is equipped with a monitoring and alarm unit that continuously checks the condition of the seals. LeaCon is considered a non-oil to water interface thus the thrusters can be operated without EALs and fulfill the current VGP regulations. Further, the scope of supply is completed by SCHOTTEL’s condition monitoring system MariHub to enable condition-based maintenance via an onboard display.

First new WCC planned to be operational by 2027
WCCs are essential to maintain and protect the United States’ inland waterways transportation system. Approximately 630 million tons of cargo move through these waterways annually. The current inland tender fleet has an average age of more than 57 years and is approaching obsolescence. The new vessels will feature improved habitability and will accommodate mixed-gender crews. The first of the new WCCs is planned to be operational by 2027.